Stay for boots or shoes



(No Model.)

W. A. NEBLY. STAY FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

Patented Apr. 5,. 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. NEELY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

STAY FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 72,197, dated April 5, 1892.

Application filed April 26, 1890. Serial No. 849,609. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. NEELY, of Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Stays for Boots or Shoes, of which the following description, in connection wit-h the accompany- 1n g drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

It is well known that the seams in boots and shoes are commonly strengthened and finished by the addition of a stay, the stay commonly consisting of a piece of thin leather, usually kid, calf-skin, or goat, the'said stay being connected to the upper by two rows of stltch'es, the stay being sometimes creased parallel to its opposite edges, leaving a raised central part to cover the seam and raised edges, and sometimes the stay has been com-. posed of a strip of thin leather folded over upoiritself. In this class of stays the stitchlng lies on the surface of the stay, and the thread so exposed is soon Worn and cut by the dress or other garment rubbing against it. Appreciating that such class of stay was not sufficiently durable and also desiring to conceal the stitches from sight, as well as removing the thread from possibility of being cut or abraded by wear, I have devised a stay having sufficient thickness or body to be slitted or grooved for a depth sufficient to receive and thus protect and also conceal the stitches, the thread being wholly below the surface of the stay. The material best suited for my improved stay is sole-leather; but other heavy strong firm textured or grained leather-such as harness-leather or thick calf and kip skin-may be used.

My invention therefore consists in a stay composed of thick leather, substantially as described, slit and grooved sufllciently from its upper toward'its under side to receive, conceal, and protect the stitches used to unite the stay to material to cover and protect other seams.

Figure 1 in perspective, but on an enlarged scale, shows a stay embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a strip of material from which to make the stay, and Fig. 3 shows a stay-strip as it will appear when its top is rounded previous to slitting and grooving the same.

In the manufacture of myimp'roved stayI shall preferably take a suitable strip a of strong firm textured or grained leather, such as described, and preferably round the same upon its top or upper edge, as at b, and cuta groove therein at its upper side toward 1ts under side, as at c, the said groove being of such size and depth to receive, protect, and conceal the stitches, which in practice will be made through the thin wall of material 0' at the bottom of the said groove, the said stitches serving to unite the stay to the boot or shoe. The stitches concealed and protected in the deep grooves refererd to cannot be touched and abraded and cut by wear.

I do not desire to limit this invention to the exact shape of the groove or its exact location on the convexed side of thestay, nor to providing the stay with but one groove, as the gist of my invention lies, chiefly, in making the stay of a material of such thickness as to enable it to be rounded at its top side and grooved sufficiently deep to enable the stitches to be concealed in or protected fully by the material of the stay and constituting the side walls of the groove.

As stated, preferably the under side of the stay will be concaved slightly, as in Fig. 1, I having found that thereby the groove will more completely close upon and cover and substantially conceal the stitches when the stay is being drawn closely to the work by the stitches; but the under side of the stay may be left flat.

The stay herein described and illustrated is very much narrower than any previous stay known to me and is more elevated or thicker than other previously-known stays, the stock being of sufficient thickness to take a groove of sufficient depth to fully receive the line of thread forming the stitches.

While the stay herein described and shown is applicable especially to the seams of boots or shoes, its use is not confined to such articles, as it is obvious that the stay may be applied with equally good results to any articles having seams to be protected, such as harness, trunks, carpet-bags, and the like.

I claim The herein-described stay, it consisting of.

sole-leather or its described equivalent proname to this specification in the presence of vided with a deep slit 01' groove sufficient to two subscribing Witnesses. receive between the side Walls of the groove and protect and conceal the stitches used to \VILLIAM A. NEELY. 5 attach the stay to an article having a seam to \Vitnesses:

be covered. BERNICE J. NoYEs,

In testimony whereof I have signed my EMMA J. BENNETT. 

